I'll Always Be Right There
by LikeAPhoenix
Summary: Four years ago Tommy lost the love of his life. Can something as simple as a song help heal his heart? Kind of sad, yet a happy ending. Jommy.


A/N-I orginally posted this on Instant Star Boards, with no plans to post this here. But I feel bad about always taking so long to update my stories so I decided to post this for you to tide you over. I'm working on the next chapter of Hush Little Baby and I'm not making any promises but I hope to get the next chapter out soon. I'm also working on Wedding Chaos stil, it's just going a litle slower than I planned. I'll stop babbling now so you can read. I hope you like this, I think it's one of my better stories.

Disclaimer: I don't own Instant Star or anything related to it. I also don't own "I'll Always Be Right There" by Michelle Branch. I only own the story idea. And Olivia. That's it.

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Rain tapped against the roof of the old farmhouse as Tommy Quincy stood in the doorway of the bedroom, watching the blonde six year old sleep. Her arm was clamped tightly around a stuffed yellow duck, worn and slightly dirty from years of being dragged around. She stirred, and Tommy was afraid she had awakened but she held the duck tighter and continued sleeping. He sighed and walked to the bed, stooping to kiss the little girl lightly on her head before turning and leaving the room, walking down the hall and into the living room. He lit a fire in the fireplace but it did nothing to get rid of the gloom that was only partially due to the weather. As he stared into the glowing embers, memories of that night four years ago flooded his memory.

"_C'mon Tommy, haven't you ever wanted to dance in the rain?" Jude said, pulling him down the back steps and onto the grass. It was raining, and the April air was cool. "You're going to catch a cold." He replied, but he didn't sound very stern as he laughed. He stood captivated as Jude stood still, arms wide open and face tilted to the sky. Thunder boomed overhead and Jude looked at him, her eyes serious. "I love you." Those words haunted him, forever reminding him of what he'd lost. She danced to the sidewalk and twirled in circles up and down the cement. The car came out of nowhere, bouncing up over the curb and smashing into Jude with a sickening crack. "Mama?" Olivia stood on the back porch, duck clutched tightly in her little arms, lower lip trembling. "Go back inside, sweetie." Tommy said, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. "Mommy's fine." When he saw her go back inside he turned to Jude, a horrified expression taking over his face. He knelt down beside her, holding her and begging her to wake up. The rest of the night was a blur. The only thing he remembered was the crushing pain he felt as the doctor gave them the news._

"Daddy, why are you crying?" Tommy looked up to see Olivia standing by the end of the couch. Raising a hand to his face, he felt tears on his cheeks. "It's nothing baby. Why are you awake?" She walked over to him, duck dragging, and he pulled her onto his lap. "The storm scared me." She said, laying her head against his chest. "I won't ever let anything hurt you, okay baby?" He stroked her golden hair and rubbed her back, feeling her relax against him. She reminded him so much of Jude sometimes that it hurt. "Okay Daddy." She said, but her voice was quiet. When he was sure she was asleep he lifted her carefully and carried her back to her room. After tucking her in for the second time that night he went into his room and pulled a shoebox out from under the bed. Sitting on the floor with his back against the bed, he opened the box and pulled out one of the pictures inside. It was of him, Jude, and Olivia the day she was born. On the back Jude had written Olivia Joie Quincy and her date of birth. "I miss you so much Jude. Olivia is just like you. It's not fair. You were only twenty three; we were only married for four years. It's not fair!" A strangled sob escaped Tommy's throat. Looking at Jude's messy scrawl brought more tears to his eyes and he quickly set the picture aside. As he lifted another picture out of the box Jude's journal fell out and landed open to the last page. He'd read through the journal before, it was mostly songs. But this one hadn't been there before, he knew it hadn't. He looked through it enough times to know that he couldn't have missed it. As he read the song he couldn't help feeling like Jude was trying to talk to him.

When you're all alone,  
and you need a light,  
someone to guide you through the night,  
just remember that I am here,  
to hold you close and dry your tears.

Oh-ooh

And just when you thought you were falling,  
but you know I'll always be right there.

When you're all alone,  
and you need a friend,  
someone to help you to the end,  
when you need someone to catch you when you fall,  
I'll be there through it all.

Oh-oh

Cause just when you thought you were losing,  
but you know I'll always be right there.

And I'll be there through the good times,  
and the bad,  
and we'll be there for each other,  
cause you're the best friend I've ever had.

And just when you thought you were falling,  
but you know I'll always be right there.  
Oh-oooh whenever you need me,  
I'll always be right there.

Tommy stared at the page, taking it in. A tear fell onto the page, making a perfect little circle. If he concentrated hard enough, he could almost hear Jude singing it. He stared at the words for a while longer, absorbing them. Strangely, he felt comforted after reading the lyrics. For the first time since that horrible day, he could think about her and not feel a crushing pain in his chest. It still hurt, and he knew it always would, but it wasn't quite so hard to deal with. He knew what to do with the song, what she'd want him to do. He put the picture of the three of them in the journal to mark the page ad carefully set it aside.

He picked up the picture that had made the journal fall and smiled. It was him and Jude on the beach. They had just finished her third album, and they'd decided they deserved a break so they "kidnapped" Sadie and Kwest and spent the day at the beach. They'd stopped at a dollar store and bought a disposable camera. The picture was of Tommy giving Jude a piggy back ride on the beach. Both were smiling and Jude's hair was being blown by the wind when Sadie took the picture. Tommy's shirt was open and Jude was in a tank top. That was one of the greatest days of his life. He stared at the picture, wishing he could go back to that day. He set the picture on his bedside table and put the box back under the bed.

He stood stiffly and stretched. Sighing, he moved to the closet, knowing he was finally ready. Opening the closet doors, he pulled a large brown box from the back of the closet. He laid the box carefully on the bed and removed the lid, pushing aside the tissue paper inside. He lifted out a large picture in a black frame. It was another picture of him, Jude, and Olivia, this one taken professionally on Olivia's second birthday. Jude and Tommy were sitting on a black couch, Jude's head on Tommy's shoulder and his arm around her shoulders. Olivia was on the couch between them, and each held one of her hands. They were all smiling and happy, the perfect little family. It had arrived a few days after the accident, but Tommy had put it into the closet unable to bear the pain that came with seeing Jude's picture. He knew now that he was ready, and carried it to the living room, being extra quiet as he passed Olivia's room. He hung it over the fireplace where it belonged. "I love you." He said the words he hadn't said that night, the words that had plagued his dreams for so long. Now they brought him peace.


End file.
